


Crushes and Pizza

by SassyLassy



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Familystuck, Humanstuck, good dad GHB trope, mentioned JadeTav, unrequited GamTav
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-13 14:24:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3385034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyLassy/pseuds/SassyLassy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small collection of stories revolving around Grand Highdad Kurloz Snr and his trials and tribulations in raising Kurloz Jnr and Gamzee. Deals with single parent problems, having a gay son who crushes on his best friend, and pizza. All important things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The door handle clicked and the hinges creaked as the door was pushed open. Through the now open door trudged a man who looked like he could king hit an Elephant and kill it. Well, Kurloz Snr looked it to almost everyone, save those who knew him. His long thick tangled hair had been tied back in a long pony tail which he was now untying, now that he was home in the safety of his house and not at risk of any stray embers that could ignite his beautiful long hair. He reached a scarred knuckle up to his aged face and scratched idly at his sideburns, eyelids heavy. It had been a long day at the shop today, working on motorcycles was hard work after all but he loved it which was why he did it in the first place.

Well there was another reason why he worked so hard, no not one, more like two. Named Gamzee and Kurloz Jnr, in case you were curious.

After all it wasn’t cheap raising two boys alone after your partner of six years felt as though this life wasn’t for her, and took to the streets back when Gamzee was only a year old. When you’re left a single father you suddenly have to look at the world in a completely different light. Your life is not your own any more, you don’t have the security or support of another person. You have two little boys looking up at you and wanting to know when dinner was. Who needed clothes, clean beds to sleep in, schools and books and a future that now was weighed on your shoulders. Sure he got help from his closer friends when things got rough but at the end of the day, Gamzee and Kurloz Jnr were his main concern.

Which was why that even if he felt tired, that his skin felt warm and burned after all day of working with hot engines and wires, he made his way up the stairs to see how his sons were. He had passed through the kitchen and saw a note from Kurloz Jnr pinned to the fridge. ‘Gone to Mitunas be back by 7’. Well that was all well and good, he knew the Captor family well from years ago. He used to drive with the ‘old man’ for days on end just travelling cross country because they could. Oh to be young and irresponsible again.

Reaching Gamzee’s door he pushed it open a little and at first smiled faintly upon seeing his son home after another day at high school but it was changed quickly to a frown. Gamzee was laying face down on the bed, his shoes kicked off as he’d walked towards the bed, his backpacks contents strewn across the floor, and his jacket from school crumpled and a mess. He pushed the door open further, to lean on the door frame and folded his massive, tattooed arms as he did.

"Lemme guess. Shit day?" he asked.

His only answer was a muffled noise that may be compared to a groan, mixed with a whimper. Gamzee slowly moved, without moving his arms and legs at all, somehow rolling onto his side. The mess of curly black hair slowly slid away to reveal his face. His eyes were red, his cheeks blotchy, and his nose looked like it was in desperate need of a blow as he had snot running down it. Immediately Kurloz Snr moved from the door frame and approached the bed as Gamzee slowly sat, so he could sit down besides him.

"All right. Spill the motherfuckin’ beans." Kurloz Snr said, resting his hands on his knees.

Gamzee didn’t answer immediately, but at least he rubbed his nose against the sleeve of his shirt. Then he wiped at his eyes with both of his hands, hitching his shoulders up as he did. “It’s stupid.” he mumbled.

"If it’s got you layin’ on your bed and cryin’ I would consider it to be pretty serious." he pointed out. "C’mon now. Let it out. Is this ‘bout that stupid dance comin’ up in a month?"

He’d gotten a flyer about it from the school. A themed dance for the whole school of highschoolers so of course everyone was going to be going. Gamzee had been excited, a week ago, when he’d brought it home. It was themed with the ocean, it was going to be ‘bitch tits awesome’ or so he said. And it was the first year that not only boy-girl pairs were allowed, but also girl-girl and boy-boy. It had caused a ruckus with a lot of parents but the school was carrying on regardless, since the world was changing, evolving and you had to move with it or die. At least that’s how Kurloz Snr saw it. And he knew that his youngest had the worlds hugest crush on his best friend from childhood, and had been hoping to maybe ask him to the dance.

Something must have happened.

"H-he," Gamzee started, his voice quivering as he spoke, "he’s askin’ Jade Harley."

"That science girl with the big glasses?" Kurloz Snr asked, since the name was familiar considering all these kids had gone to the same school since they started grade one. Some names just stuck out more than others.

Gamzee nodded. “He talks about her all the fuckin’ time when he hangs with me,” he started, voice still shaking as he stared ahead at nothing. “They’re lab partners in biology and he talks about her dog and her grandpa and how smart she is, that he l-likes her glasses and laugh and gap in her teeth and all this stupid shit and I listen cuz I don’t wanna be all up and rude to him you know what right do I got to say ‘no don’t talk to me about her’. Today he asked me if-if he should ask her to the dance.”

"Oh." Kurloz Snr frowned. Shit. "What did you say?"

He bowed his head lower, moving his fingers to tangle them with his black hair. “I-I said he should cuz if he likes her. That it’d be. Great.”

"Oh Gamzee." he reached down, wrapping his thick arm around his stick of a son and pulled him against him, pressing his hand against his head. "Likin’ anyone is hard. Specially when they got their liking on to another."

"I hate it." Gamzee whispered. "I wish I didn’t like him. Wish I wasn’t-wasn’t LIKE this why can’t I be fuckin’ NORMAL?" his voice raised at this, shaking with emotion that stabbed at his fathers chest.

"Hey. Hey." he pressed his hand harder to the back of his sons head. "There ain’t no thing as ‘normal’ any more. Don’t you be wishing for a thing that ain’t real. You are you, Gamzee. And you don’t wanna be hoping for what you ain’t because what you are is amazing. Y’all sharp as a knife when you wanna be. You can take guys head on and make em pay for any shit they sling. You work hard. You love your friends. You are a son I am proud of every motherfuckin’ day ever since you were brought into this world so don’t you go wishing to change."

He felt his son tremble against him, fighting that teenage desire to be an adult, the stress of being a boy who had to be big, capable, strong and not the type to cry over the fact your crush was asking a girl to the dance the day you wanted to ask him to go with you. But it hurt, it burned at his heart and made his stomach feel like it was full of knives. If he could just turn off his feelings for Tavros he’d do it in an instant and go back to being best friends who rapped, played video games, and hung out. He didn’t want this. Being a teenager was horrible, it was hard, and while it felt like his dad understood he still couldn’t help but feel adrift like a raft on an ocean of hormones.

"C’mon. You want pizza for dinner tonight? Things always feel a bit better with pizza. Even crushes."

Gamzee went quiet for a while, before lifting his flushed face, a small and awkward smile on his face. “Can we eat it all before Kurloz gets back ‘n rub it in his face?”

"Fuck yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night of the big dance but Kurloz Snr isn't up for games when Gamzee ignores his curfew.

The number of photos taken earlier tonight should be deemed illegal. Gamzee hadn’t expected that his descent from the stairs would result in feeling like some kind of media frenzy but that’s what his dad had done. As he said, it wasn’t like Gamzee got dressed up like this every other night.

There he’d been, dressed up to the nines in a black suit with a crisp white shirt and purple tie. He had purple socks on but you couldn’t see them thanks to his long pants, and shiny black shoes. He’d allowed the photos to happen, even when Karkat arrived to pick him up.

They were going ‘stag’, as Karkat had explained to Gamzee’s father who, once upon a time had intimidated the Hell out of him. Now, he was just another ‘dad’ who he had to deal with. Besides there wasn’t anything wrong about two friends going to a stupid school dance with each other so they could give one another the support single friends needed.

While quietly watching their crushes dancing with others. Not like they’d tell any of their dads that.

"Be careful don’t be doing no stupid shit!" Kurloz Snr called from the door, waving as Gamzee got into Karkat’s small, old car. He’d waved until it finally drove off, sighing as he set his hands in his pockets. Turning his head he saw his namesake lounging on the couch.

"Can we get pizza?" he asked.

He quietly contemplated. “Well. We did get some a few weeks back and you missed out. Guess this shit’s only fair.”

"Sweet. I’ll be sure to leave a crust in Gamzee’s bedroom."

~*~

It was one in the morning and Gamzee Makara was not home. He was not answering his phone. The dance had ended at ten thirty, and Kurloz Snr had given his youngest a curfew of eleven thirty. An hour to hang with his friends afterwards, and come home.

That was an hour and a half ago.

Kurloz Jnr had rolled his eyes, telling his father that this shit happens, and had gone to bed with what remained of their shared pizza dinner. His father, however, was not about ready to just go to bed.

Gamzee had always been a good boy. He’d come home from school when needed, he rang when he knew he’d be late, or when he was going somewhere, never had he stayed out past curfew and rarely had he never answered the phone. Kurloz Snr had called him fifteen times now and each time it rang out and went to his voice mail.

"Hey it’s Gamzee Makara I ain’t here to answer your phone call, but leave me a message man and I’ll get back to you." said his voice, for the sixteenth time tonight.

"Gamzee you will call me. You WILL call me the second you hear this. Do you Understand?” growled Kurloz Snr before hanging up, and slammed the phone down on the table. Fuck. He was angry yes but he was mostly plum terrified because what kind of shit could a eighteen year old get up to on the night after a dance? A whole lot of shitty trouble, that’s what.

So he grabbed his laptop and flipped it open, powering it on. He browsed onto The Facebook and clicked his way down his page. Of course he had his own friends, a lot of them the adults of his sons friends but a lot of them from work. Given the time of night there wasn’t that much happening. Some late night blogging. Sharing of pics.

And then he saw it. A blurred photo graph being shared around and it was accompanied by a lot of likes, many of them being Gamzee’s friends. The photo was of a pool, and there were a lot of said teenagers in it. Posted not half an hour ago.

He recognized the pool, of course he did. It was the huge pool that the Peixes had, he’d been there a few times in the past since somehow Gamzee got along pretty well with Feferi. She tended to have pool parties a lot, especially growing up, and Gamzee had gone every time with his water wings and flippers and of course Kurloz Snr had accompanied to ensure his son didn’t accidentally drown.

Sure they had paid lifeguards on guard but he wasn’t about to trust some German in tight red speedos to save his son.

But now he knew where he was and just like back then, he was going to be there. He slammed the laptop shut, shouted up to Kurloz that he was going to get Gamzee, and left. Out he stormed in the late one am light of the street lights, pulling his car keys out of his pocket and climbed into his black Impala.

The Pexies Residence, with its high gates, and strong security was half an hour away and by the time he reached it there were so many cars haphazardly parked around it. Teens had no idea how to fucking park, this much was obvious. But he drove up the drive way, wondering what his friend Condy would be thinking if she wasn’t away in Bali right now. The shit Meenah, her eldest, got away with blew his mind. Kurloz and Gamzee would never throw a party if he were away for a week.

There were teens literally everywhere. On the grass outside, through the double doors, and of course they were inside. Music thumping, lights dimly lit, and he could smell the hormones and alcohol before he even pushed the doors open.

He was shocked that a record scratching noise didn’t fill the air the second he walked in because the teenagers closest to him seemed to gasp and stop what they were doing. When you’re six foot something, long haired, muscled, scarred and tattooed you tended to get that sort of reaction from many places you normally wouldn’t hang out in.  
His eyes narrowed as he stared at the faces of the nearest teens until he recognized one of them. Dave Strider. The sarcastic little shit with the sunglasses no matter what time of day, or night, it was.

"Oh shit." Dave mouthed as he began to move, attempting to get away, but was all but hauled back by Kurloz Snr before he could amscray.

"Where’s Gamzee." he demanded. "I know he’s here."

"I dunno, man it. There’s kinda half the school here in case you didn’t notice with your old man eyes."

"Dave. You gonna watch your fucking tongue right now before I rip it out of your mouth and shove it up your asshole. Or get your brother to do it for you once he finds out the shit you’re doing here. Now I repeat. Where is Gamzee?"

Dave went quiet before he shrugged, turning his head away but Kurloz Snr could smell the fear through the thick fog of hormones and alcohol. “I dunno he ‘n Karkat showed up. Lost track of em.”

Releasing his grip on he sarcastic little shit Kurloz Snr proceeded to go deeper into the rabbits hole that was the Peixes mansion. Shit, the kids were everywhere. He spotted a fair few he knew, those not drunk enough to be considered almost blind drunk spotted him and appeared to try and shrink in size so he wouldn’t see them.

But he wasn’t here to act dad to all of them. He was here to act dad to his son.

The amount of bedroom doors he opened to find partly drunk teenagers making out though, that shit was ridiculous. None of them were Gamzee, though. And yes he fully admits to pulling one boy off a girl who was clearly too drunk to do jack squat and tossed him part way down the stairs.

Finally, however, he found his son.

In the upstairs bathroom, jacket missing, hair a mess, even one of his shoes were missing. He was hugging the toilet, throwing up violently as if someone had just showed him his fathers sex tape. Not like he had a sex tape though. Hypothetically.

”Gamzee Makara.” Kurloz Snr growled lowly as he walked into the bathroom, partly shutting the door behind him. “You got a shit load of explaining to do here.”

  
Gamzee offered him a low, gurgling noise, as he turned his head to look at his father. His eyes were again, blood shot. He had shit running out of his nose and out of the corner of his mouth. There was absolutely no colour in his face, drained entirely and probably sat in the contents of the toilet bowl.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, keeping his rage behind a well locked gate within him. "You know you got a motherfuckin’ curfew. You don’t answer the phone. And THIS is how I find you?"

"MMmuurrgghhh Daaaaddy…" Gamzee groaned, hitting the flush button. "M’sorry…"

"Not as sorry as you’re gonna be boy."

He wound up taking Gamzee, and Karkat (once he found him sobbing by the pool not ten minutes later), home. After dropping Karkat back home, he carried Gamzee home. Whatever became of his jacket and shoe, he had no idea, but surely they’d find their way home if it was meant to be.

Now, Gamzee was in his bed with a bucket besides his bed. His clothes removed to be cleaned, a clean t-shirt and shorts adorned his body. The boy still looked absolutely dead on his feet, eyes heavy with bags, colour still lost.

Kurloz Snr sat besides him, arms folded, as well as his legs.

This reminded him of the time Gamzee had gotten awfully sick when he was two years old. He had rushed him to hospital, and of course stayed besides his sick son’s bedside the entire time. Amazing how much Gamzee had not really changed since that awful week all those years ago. Even if he still felt a flush ebb of anger, he reached out and pushed his hand through his sons mop of sweaty hair.

"What’d I tell you ‘bout drinking?" he asked, voice low, since shouting now would get him nowhere.

"T’not to." Gamzee answered weakly.

"Shit. How much did you even drink?"

"Dunno…."

Heaving a sigh, Kurloz Snr sat back and rubbed his hand against his pant leg. “Tell me what happened.”

And, despite his sickly state, Gamzee proceeded to tell him how the night went. That it began fine, the music was okay, the theme was decent and him and Karkat got to chill at a table with some of their friends. But then the dancing had begun, and he had to watch as Tavros and Jade began what was a typical ideal date night.

How he’d watched them dance, laugh together, enjoy their drinks and time with one another. Gamzee had been so insanely jealous he hadn’t even moved from the table for anything. He couldn’t even watch most of it. But then Karkat found out about the party afterwards, that Dave was going, and Karkat always seemed to hang around where Dave was.

So of course Gamzee had gone with Karkat and that had turned out to be a terrible mistake because there was drinking and teenagers mixed with alcohol was never a good idea and by this time Gamzee had tears in his eyes. He spoke of losing track of Karkat, of anyone, and when he went wandering into one of the rooms he found Tavros and Jade.

Making out.

He had actually gasped out loud, and rushed away from the pair and before he knew it properly he had drinks in his hands and he’d drunk more than he should. Then there was his dad, standing in the bathroom, demanding to know why he was here.

A hand was splayed over Kurloz Snr’s face by now, sighing. Was being a teenager so fucking hard when he’d been Gamzees’ age? He didn’t remember it being that way. He’d spent his days on his bike, riding around, causing trouble. He had no crushes on friends to worry himself with. Nothing like what his son had.

He reached over and rubbed his thumb against Gamzees’ cheek, cleaning his tears away. “Shhhh… sh. Don’t get upset. You get that shit outta your system and get better. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow. Y’hear?”

Gamzee just nodded as he slowly rolled away from his father, pulling his blanket up over his head slightly. “I hate her.” he heard Gamzee’s muffled, pained voice whisper.

"You’ll feel better tomorrow." Kurloz Snr insisted again, getting up and moving from the room. At least he hoped he felt better tomorrow. Dealing with unrequited affection was a visibly painful thing for his son to deal with. Shit. He really needed a mother sometimes. Someone who was far more in tune with their emotions than he did. Yes, he knew that was a horribly narrow way of thinking but he’d raised Kurloz Jnr and Gamzee to the best of his abilities. But he’d never been so fully into feelings and exploration of them. Just be yourself. That’s what he told them.

But what do you tell your son when his heart was breaking whenever he was around his best friend?

He had no idea.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurloz Snr is pulled away from work due to Gamzee fighting at school. Time to get to the bottom of the reasoning.

"Makara! Oi! Makara, phone call!"

Kurloz Snr turned his head, turning off his blow torch as he did, and lifted the visor from his eyes and blinked warily to the man waving at him from across the garage. “What?” he asked.

"Got a phone call, from your kids school!"

Hearing that, Kurloz lowered his tools and tugged his big black gloves off as he made his way across the floor and took the phone off of its hanger on the wall. He wiped at his brow, smearing grease and sweat, before putting the blackened, once white, phone to his ear. “H’lo?”

"Is this Mister Makara?" the prim, clean voice asked over the phone.

"Hmmhmm." he replied, "What’s going on?"

"I’m sorry to trouble you during your work hours sir, but your son has been caught fighting on school property." she didn’t sound sorry at all.

Kurloz Snr’s eyes narrowed and he stood up straighter. “ _Excuse_ me?”

"A teacher on yard duty was alerted to a fight happening in the Science wing and when he got there, your son was in a fight with several other students. We’ve called the others parents, as is school policy." she went on to explain.

” _Why_ were they fighting?” Kurloz Snr asked.

"I am not at liberty to say as to why, but your son is awaiting your collection in the—"

"WHY was he fighting? Were they beating him up? Was he fighting back? Did he start it? Give me the details, now, before I loose my work hours to drive across the city to see my son."

The woman on the phone went quiet, he could almost hear her distress, before she continued. “I’m not sure, sir, how or why it started or how your son was envolved just that he was brought here with a few other students…”

He groaned, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll be there fast as I can.”

So he got onto his bike, grabbed his helmet and jacket which had an emblazed goat skull with wings on its back, and drove to the school. It was not a cheap school, because he had decided upon seeing his first born in his hands that any children of his would get a good education. No piss, back entry school for his boys no way. They’d get an education, good jobs, not like him. So he paid up the ass for this expensive school so their brains were being put to good use.

Only now this school had called him out of work, which he worked extremely hard at in order to pay for this school in the first place, because his son was fighting.

As he parked the bike in the visitors car park he saw the Vantas car just pulling away. There was Kankri at the wheel, his son Karkat sitting besides him and he was sporting a pretty painful looking black eye, and holding a tissue to his nose. The two fathers had a split second to make eye contact with one another, and Kanrki’s expression said it all.

Shit was not good.

After making his way inside, helmet under arm, he was told to wait outside of the principle’s office which was right down that hall. The young receptionist had looked at him as if she expected him to hold her at gun point. Looking at him you really wouldn’t think of him as a single father of two boys, sending them through an expensive high school at all.

He turned the corner and came to a stop.

Gamzee was sitting on some of the cushioned chairs outside of the princple’s office. He had a cut lip, dried blood on his lip. There was blood on his white shirt, and his blazer was folded and sitting on his lap. He didn’t have any busted nose, or black eyes thankfully but the sight of his son being busted and bruised roused a beast within Kurloz Snr’s chest.

Looking up, Gamzee’s eyes widened before he stared down at his feet as his father approached. He flinched as the man sat down besides him.

"What happened." Kurloz Snr demanded, quietly, voice a very model of a contained, controlled individual who was fighting back a beast made of anger and rage.

"…they were sayin’ me and Karkat should be suckin’ each others dicks."

Kurloz Snr groaned, eyes shutting. “Is that it?”

"They were callin’ Karkat a fag cuz.. they found out he told Dave he loved him on Saturday. But Dave told him to tone back on.. on the gay ‘n guys found out and they know what I am and said that we should be fucking cuz we’re both gay." Gamzee explained quietly, slowly. "Karkat got up in their faces and they hit him and when they hit him I got in with it… and then we got found out."

"Fuck sake Gamzee what’ve I told you about fighting?"

"To not to…"

Turning his head he looked down at his son. “While I’m proud of you standin’ up for yourself and Karkat you should’ve just walked away from those assholes. They’re not worth your time.” he stopped suddenly, and frowned. “Wait. You said they know you’re gay how do they know you ain’t told anyone save Karkat.”

Gamzee pulled himself in closer to himself, shoulders arching, pupils shrinking in significant size.

"…Gamzee did some motherfucker out you?"

"No!"

"So what happened?"

How could Gamzee explain it? That people had just worked it out. Seen how he acted, observed it, and saw his response to seeing Tavros making out with Jade? It felt like everyone in the school knew he was gay but the boy he was crushing on. The teenager turned his head away, shaking his head.

Kurloz Snr opened his mouth to speak but the door to the office was pulled open and there stood the principle, Mr. Scratch. He was a short man, shorter than Gamzee, and he was already bald like a cue ball. He wore a green shirt over white pants, and those suspenders always looked ridiculous but he wasn’t about to comment on fashion of the man.

"Gamzee, if you and your father are ready you are welcome to come into my office."

"Are we ready?" Kurloz Snr asked his son, who just sat there a moment longer before nodding his head once. "We’re ready."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Gamzee is recovering from his fight at school, he gets an unexpected visitor at his door. But can he face them?

The front door bell rung throughout the house, and Kurloz Snr turned his head from his place at the stove top. He stopped stirring the soup he was making and took it off the heat, wiping the messy spoon on his apron and set it down on the plate. “Gamzee, can you get that?” he called through the house.

His answer came from a thump coming from above him, Gamzee’s room, and the familiar foot falls as he heard his son make his way down the stairs towards the front door. Moving to the fridge he opened it and just as he reaching in to grab what he needed he heard a noise of alarm coming from the front hallway.

So abandoning his cooking he made his way out of the kitchen to the hallway which led down towards the front door. Gamzee had lodged himself up against a wall, out of sight of the door, eyes wide as he all but clung to the door as if it was grounding him to reality.

"What the hell is going on?" Kurloz Snr asked, looking at his son, then towards the front door. Of course it had a peep hole to see who it was, and he quickly checked.

Tavros Nitram was outside, and standing on the front porch behind him was Jade.

"Oh." he thought to himself as he stepped back from the door.

"I don’t wanna see him." Gamzee said quietly. "I can’t be seein’ him. Or her." he looked towards the door before moving further from it, turning his head away. Of course due to his fighting on school property he’d been told that he would have to miss a few days from school. This meant missing classes, and while Equius was nice enough to offer to bring him his homework this of course did not stop any of his other friends from wanting to visit.

This was Tavros’ first visit in three days. And while they hadn’t discussed the boy, and Jade, Kurloz Snr could plainly see that Gamzee was not at all ready to be seeing either of them. Add to that the fact Tavros and Gamzee had been close, if not best, friends since they were eight was having one Hell of an effect on Gamzee.

"It’s all right." Kurloz Snr said, gripping Gamzee’s shoulder and gave him a gentle nudge towards the lounge where he could sit. Or he could just go back to his room. Whichever he wanted to do. Whatever he chose, he didn’t see it, because Kurloz Snr approached the door and pulled it open.

"Tavros!" he declared, pulling his lips back to a big, welcoming smile upon the boy who was breaking his sons’ heart. "Well ain’t this a motherfuckin’ pleasure, been a while since you came ‘round here boy what. We ain’t good enough for you to be visitin’ no more?" Kurloz Snr asked.

Tavros gave a small, awkward laugh, rubbing a hand against his others wrist. “Hah, sorry Mister Makara um. Things have just been real crazy right now…”

"And who is this with you here?" Kurloz Snr asked as if he had no idea about who Jade Harley was. She was hard to miss, with those big glasses of hers and that long hair that flowed down her back like a waterfall. The girl gave him a small, anxious smile, and a wave. She had most certainly not grown up with this intimidating man in her life and it showed.

"Um. That’s Jade.." Tavros blushed, before looking up at the man again. "I uh, I was wondering if Gamzee’s in…?"

' _He don't want to see you._ ' is what he wanted to say. ' _You ain't knowing the pain you're putting him through with this girl hangin around you. I don't know how you ain't able to see how much affection he feels for you, god damn._ '

"Sorry kids," he leaned on the door, putting his hand on his hip. "Gamzee’s kinda motherfuckin’ grounded on account of the fighting at school. He ain’t allowed no internet, no tv, no phone, and certainly no visitors for a fortnight."

"Oh…" Tavros looked genuinely upset at this news. "So uh.. that’s why he hasn’t been texting me back…"

' _Yeah that's the reason not like he can't even look at your texts without lookin' like his hearts got cut out._ '

"Figures, boy. I hear Kankri’s got the same deal going on with Karkat. But that’s what happens when y’all get into a punch up in school. Proud as I am that he broke one of their noses, still puts me in one Hell of a mess with their folks and now I gotta deal with them up my ass." Kurloz Snr shrugged his shoulders, reaching a hand up to scratch at his neck. "But yeah, sorry. Gamzee ain’t gonna be seein’ you anywhere till he’s allowed back to school again. I will let him know y’all visited though."

The girl was already making her get away down the pavement that led up to their door way, glancing at the collection of clown gnomes that scattered their front yard. No doubt to anyone else their appearance would be creepy as sin.

"Um. I’d appreciate that… but uh. Could you give him this?" Tavros rooted around in his pocket and pulled out an envelope and held it out to him. "I sort of uh, had a guess that he was grounded and not allowed out or people in so I wrote him a thing. Can you see that he gets it, please?" he asked.

God damn this boy was adorable. Stupid, but adorable. Sighing heavily, the grown man took the envelope from the young man and turned it over in his hand. “…it ain’t directions to sneak out of his window tonight, is it?” he asked, warily.

"Oh-oh no I would never—"

"It’s a joke son, calm down a bit." Kurloz Snr insisted. "Don’t worry none I’ll get it to him."

"…oh, um. Okay. Good. Thank you, Mister Makara."

And with that, Tavros and the girl who hadn’t spoken a single word, was gone. Kurloz Snr watched them until they were gone, and he shut the door before looking down at the envelope in his hand. It was brown, and felt like it had only a letter in it. No card to speak of. He felt a strong desire to rip it open, or just rip it up. To pretend such a thing didn’t exist on account of he could already feel what kind of effect it would have on his son who had already gone through enough emotional shit in the span of a week than anyone his age should.

But it was his sons’ letter. Not his. So he made his way into the lounge to see Gamzee sitting in the big leather chair that was normally Kurloz Snrs’ to sit on. It had been sat upon so often over the years the grooves of his body was visible on the old, black leather.

Gamzee was sitting there like he used to when he was small. Gripping the armrests. Back then his feet couldn’t even reach the edge of where the seat ended. He’d kick his little feet, laughing about how big his dad was and how huge the chair was. Now, his knees bent down, feet touching the floor. He hadn’t kicked his legs like that in so long and it was just another reminder how big he’d gotten in this house.

Kurloz Snr held the letter out to him. “Tavros wrote you a letter.”

"I don’t want it."

"Don’t be like that." he frowned, looking down at the letter. "Don’t be mad at the boy he ain’t got a knowledge on about what’s going on. He’s oblivious to all this."

Gamzee glared at the floor as if it had just insulted his father, before reaching up and took the letter from him, muttering a ‘thank you’ as he did. But he immediately got to his feet and brushed past his father, heading back up the stairs. While Kurloz Snr wanted to know just what was written in it, he knew that right now it wasn’t his business to hover over his sons’ shoulder. Whatever Gamzee did with that letter was his choice, as well as whatever was written on it would be for him alone unless he felt it necessary to share it.

Sighing, Kurloz Snr moved forward and collapsed into his old leather chair, momentarily forgetting about the soup. He kicked his slippers off for a while, and ran his hand against his forehead. “Why’s this shit gotta be this hard.” he said aloud.

The deafening silence of the house was his only answer.


End file.
